Going Vegan

Question

Hey all, am new to the site. ive been vegetarian for 11yrs and am currently attempting the transition into vegan eating/living, i have been dairy free for the past few months, which has been easier than i thought but its now time to cut eggs from my diet. I am after tips advise, as cutting dairy was easy as there is plant based substitutes, but egg seems to be in everything and wot the heck do i use as a " binding" ingredients, in cakes ect, i even use egg in my nut roast, any tips or advise would be massively appreciated ❤ cheers

Mountainmystic · Answer

Welcome to the discussion forum, Jemma. Happy to see another vegetarian on the site and one transitioning to vegan. For egg replacements... Try 1 tablespoon baking soda to 1 tablespoon white vinegar to replace one egg. You can use arrowroot powder as a binder and egg replacement. It's also good for thickening stews or gravies. Silken tofu can be used as egg replacement.  Enjoy food and life. Best wishes for success in your food adventures and vegan lifestyle.

mermaid22 · Answer

Coconut oil is awesome! Coconut cream, raw coconut butter.

jemmaperkin · Answer

thank you for the responses guys,Ive just avoided eggs over the weekend. Ive  always avoided totu in the past as i have no idea what to do with it and it looks very rubbery 😁 will maybe do a google search for easy tofu recipes and bite the bullet and give it a go x

Mountainmystic · Answer

Tofu is bland on its' own. It takes on the flavor of whatever you season or pour over it before cooking it. You have to cook it in my opinion. I do not like uncooked tofu. If you like it fried (I do), buy extra firm tofu. Cut it into 1/2 inch or 1.2 cm cubes. Cover the bottom of fry pan with olive oil or vegetable oil. Pour soy sauce or Braggs amino liquid over the cubes. Fry tofu on low to medium heat like setting 4. Brown tofu on all sides for about an hour till brown and crispy. 

If you prefer baked tofu. Slice extra firm tofu in 1/2 inch or 1.2 cm. strips. Take a small bowl and put about 8 tbsp. olive or veg. oil and a dash of spices you like. A little goes a long way. I like pasta seasoning or Penzy's spices. Take a brush and baste the tofu slices. Cook at about 375 degrees farenheit  for one hour till done. Tofu should be chewy, but not dried out and hard. 

Enjoy. X

marlicious · Answer

to Mermaid 22: Coconut oil is problematic. It often comes from similar places as palm oil (areas that were once covered by rainforests). Also it has an intense taste that doesn't match a lot of foods.

eastmeetsnorthwest · Answer

I'm a bit of a mad scientist, so my personal favorite egg substitute (in general) is unflavored pea protein powder (possibly mixed with some fat and water), which is the base of aquafaba (an AMAZING egg replacer and the reason I originally started researching veganism before I fell in with my heart) and used as an egg substitute in many common packaged vegan foods, such as vegan mayonnaise and vegan chocolate chip cookies. I have also used it to thicken vegan egg nog. I just estimate that an egg is an emulsion of fat (oil), part water, and pea protein. It's also great for mocking a Maillard reaction, which is the browning effect you get in many baked goods--a reaction between sugar and protein, so mix a little sugar water with your (unflavored!) protein powder and brush goods for the browning effect you associate with the top of a pie, et cetera. Silk's protein and nut milk is a packaged product that has the same components and so will also have the same effect, but then you couldn't use it as a binder in quite the same way.

You could also use a gel egg (made of chia seeds and water or flax and water) or apple sauce, depending on the application, or omit a replacement entirely.

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